Bittersweet
by The King and his Horse
Summary: If everything is supposed to be good in the world again, why does it leave such a bad taste in my mouth? An AU Bleach IchiRuki story
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: If everything is supposed to be good in the world again, why does it leave such a bad taste in my mouth? A Bleach IchiRuki story**

**A/N: So… I'm back, with a Bleach story! celebration But, I do feel bad for abandoning my two Naruto stories… Well, one and a half (to see what I mean, go check them out ). But I've fallen in love with Bleach, so… Yay! I hope you enjoy. I don't know when the next update will be, but don't expect anything for a while. Please, read and enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach... yet.**

**Bittersweet****: Chapter 1**

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He really wanted to say something heroic at that moment, something like "This is the end of your evil deeds, Aizen! You die here!" However, he didn't. After all, he had an image to keep. And saying something that cheesy just didn't fit. And besides, why waste breath on such useless words?

"Kurosaki …" Aizen managed to whisper, despite his fatal injury. "What a shame… You held… so much potential…"

"Shut up," was the orange-haired teen's only reply. Despite his calm exterior, inside, the teen was exploding with rage. His hometown, Karakura Town, was in flames. Aizen's push against the living world caught Soul Society off guard, and they were unable to react fast enough to save the town. Even Ichigo couldn't get there on time. By the time he had arrived, half of Karakura Town was already in ruins. All who had left Hueco Mundo with him, his friends and the shinigami that were sent to help, immediately sprang into action. But even the combined efforts of all the fighters couldn't repair the already damaged Karakura Town. All they were able to do was stop the spread of destruction. And stop it they did.

As Ichigo reflected on the events leading up to this moment, Aizen merely smiled. Not one of joy, nor one of mania. Rather, a smile of contentedness.

"I'm impressed, Kurosaki…"

"Shut the hell up, bastard. You-" Ichigo was about to say something lame, like "Your reign of terror ends here," but once again, he reminded himself of how lame it would sound. Then, without another word, he brought his sword down upon Aizen, cleaving him clean in two.

**-One year later-**

"Ichigo!" yelled a raven-haired girl. She was wearing Karakura High uniform, minus the jacket. However, the said boy did not respond. Unless grunting and facing the other way was a response. "Wake up, you lazy-ass! Did you forget? Our graduation is today!"

"WHAT!?" the orange-haired boy shot up in his bed. "WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP EARLI-"

"GOOD MORNING MY SON!!! TODAY IS THE DAY YOU LEAVE BEHIND THE CHILDISH WHIMS OF HIGH SCHOOL AND TAKE YOUR FIRST STEP INTO TRUE MANHOOD!!!" cried Isshin as he flew into Ichigo's room, landing a solid kick to Ichigo's face.

"YOU!!! IS THIS ANY WAY TO WAKE YOUR SON FOR HIS GRADUATION!? DO YOU WANT ME TO SHOW UP TO THE CEREMONY WITH A BROKEN FACE!?"

"Nii-chan! Daddy! Please stop fighting so early in the morning! Breakfast is ready!" pleaded one of Ichigo's younger sisters, Yuzu, as she stuck her head into Ichigo's room.

"Ah! Yes! I shall gladly eat the meal that my darling daughter has prepared for us this fine day! Mother! Our daughter is growing up so fast!"

"Get out, all of you! I need to get ready!" yelled Ichigo, pushing out Isshin, Rukia, and Yuzu. He slammed the door right behind them and locked it. "Damn Rukia… Barges in here like she owns the place… Just because we let her sleep here… And that idiot father of mine…" the disgruntled bright haired teen grumbled. He opened his closet to find his graduation robe, along with his regular high school uniform, hanging, freshly laundered. 'Heh… I'd better remember to thank Yuzu.'

Ever since Aizen's attack, things were never the same. Many of his classmates were gone, dead. However, those who had their memories modified, which were most of the general population, thought of them as having 'moved away for private, family, or business reasons'. This pained Ichigo more than he allowed others to know. It was, in his mind, his fault that they had died. If only he had been stronger, and gotten past all those Espada faster, he may have been able to find out about Aizen's attack that much sooner, and saved perhaps even one more person. But he couldn't… He wasn't strong enough…

"Nii-chan! Are you ready yet? Breakfast is getting cold!" came Yuzu's voice through the door.

"All right! I'll be right down!" Ichigo replied, shutting the closet door.

* * *

"Eh? You're still not ready? Nii-chan, you'll be late for your ceremony then!" Yuzu said, her voice full of worry.

"That's right, my son! As you enter manhood, you should learn to take responsibility! And that means-"

"Don't worry about it, you two! He still has three hours until he actually needs to be there, and another hour after that until the actual graduation!" Karin said, taking another piece of pancake from the big stack that Yuzu had whipped up for them.

'I can't believe… that I'm graduating already,' Ichigo mused, smiling to himself more than anything. 'I still remember… the day I met…'

"What's with that idiotic look on your face for?" came Rukia's voice, interrupting Ichigo's thoughts. Ichigo had been looking at Rukia as he smiled, leading the raven-haired woman to believe that she was the recipient of his 'idiotic look'.

"Bah. What's it to you?" Ichigo replied, his face turning back into a scowl. "I'm gonna go get ready now," he suddenly said, getting up from the table.

"But nii-chan, you've only-"

"It's fine, Yuzu," Ichigo said nonchalantly, walking away.

* * *

"And now, we gather today to send off these promising young men and women to their future, where they will surely-" The speaker was taking a damn long time. Ichigo wanted, more than anything else, to get out of the stuffy, uncomfortable robe he was in, and just go back home. He didn't know how long the balding man had been talking for, but it was much too long for his liking. He let his eyes wander, scanning over the crowds. He saw his father, jumping up and down in his seat like a lunatic, waving frantically trying to get Ichigo's attention. Embarrassed, Ichigo chose to not return his father's waves. His eyes continued to move amongst the crowd, when he saw- No, it couldn't be! That bright red hair, those freaky eyebrow tattoos… Renji. Ichigo could feel the beads of cold sweat of fear forming. Next to Renji were… No… 'Somebody kill me. Please,' Ichigo thought. Rangiku was wearing a very skimpy outfit, and when she saw that Ichigo had seen her, she blew a kiss to him. Of course, this did not go unnoticed by the many classmates that were ogling at her, and they all thought that the kiss was meant for them. Next to Rangiku, looking rather uncomfortable and bored, was Hitsugaya. The seats behind them were occupied by Ukitake, Ikkaku, and Yumichika. Then, even behind them were Urahara, Yoruichi, Ururu, Jinta, and Tessai. 'What… what are they doing here,' Ichigo worried. He looked over at Rukia, who was sitting next to him. She had apparently noticed them a while back, and gave him a worried look as well. This couldn't be good…

* * *

"Ah, Kurosaki-san," came that all-too-familiar voice. Ichigo turned to the direction of the voice, to find none other than Urahara Kisuke, grinning at him.

"G-Geta-boshi," Ichigo said, staring at him. "What do you… What are you doing here?"

"Well, well, I thought it might be a nice gesture to drop by. After all, you only graduate once, right Kurosaki-san?"

"Well, I… but what I-"

"Well, well, if it isn't Kurosaki," came that all-too-familiar cocky voice. For the second time, Ichigo wheeled around to face his tomato-headed rival and friend, Abarai Renji.

"And you!" Ichigo yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Renji and the group of shinigami behind him, "What the hell's the big idea!? Just showing up here like that!! I thought you were all supposed to be busy!!"

"Well… Ukitake Juushirou _Shigekuni_ said it was all right," Renji replied, a cocky smirk forming on his lips.

"So you just- Wait… Did you say Ukitake _Shigekuni_!? As in… General!?" Ichigo screamed.

"Damn right. And you're looking at the new Captain of the 3rd Division!" Renji said, his arrogance practically drowning every shinigami within earshot.

"You… Captain!?" Ichigo was truly in shock. This was just not registering in his mind. "What kind of a sick mind do I have, creating a nightmare for myself like this!" Ichigo screamed.

"What the hell did you say!?" Renji yelled. There was no way that _he_, now a Captain of a squad now, would take this kind of abuse from a _substitute_ shinigami. "Do you _want_ to die? And on your own graduation day, too?"

"My, my, what a lively bunch we all are? Why don't we all just calm down? After all, we have business to discuss," Urahara said casually, as if it was common knowledge.

"Yes, that we do," spoke Ukitake for the first time, "but can't we push it off until tomorrow? After all, tonight _is_ his night," he said, nodding towards Ichigo.

"Well, if the Shigekuni doesn't mind, then I don't see why not?" Then, without a second thought, Urahara turned around and began to walk away.

"You… where are all of you gonna stay?" Ichigo said, turning to the group of shinigami.

"Don't you worry, Kurosaki," Hitsugaya piped up. "We won't bother you this time around," he said, referring to the last time he was here with the 'Hitsugaya Primary Expeditionary Force'.

"Yup!" Rangiku chimed in, as cheerful as ever. "But while we're here, why don't you show us some fun?"

"Onee-saaaaan!" came a cry. "As beautiful as alwa- OOF!" Keigo was struck down by Rangiku, who didn't even bother to turn to look in his direction. "You… you weren't gonna just leave me, were you?" Keigo moaned, twitching on the ground.

"I'm just going home," Ichigo said. "It's already getting dark. The damn ceremony took the entire afternoon, and I'm beat. I'm calling it a day." And with that, he left behind a group of shocked and somewhat offended shinigami.

"Onee-san, you won't leave me here, will you?" groaned a hopeful Keigo. He was, however, merely ignored and stepped on by the said strawberry blonde.

"Well then, looks like we have to show ourselves around you guys. Let's go," she said, dragging an unwilling Hitsugaya behind, followed by the rest of the shinigami entourage.

* * *

"What the hell was that about, Ichigo?" came her all-too-familiar voice from behind him.

"What are you talking about, Rukia?" he shot back, not even having to turn around to identify the owner of the voice.

"It was very rude of you to just turn them down like that. They _did_ come to see your graduation, amongst other things."

"Bullshit. They probably came here on some stupid shinigami business that happened to comfortably coincide with today."

"Are you really so dense, Ichigo?" Rukia shot back, fighting to keep her voice even. "Are you really so blind as to who cares about you and who doesn't!? Sure, they may not show it the way humans do, but in their own rights, every person here today came for you!"

Ichigo decided it was best to not argue with her. "All right. Fine. I'm sorry. I'm going home." And with that, he began to walk away when he saw his family at the end of the block, waiting for him. "Rukia," he said, turning back to her, "if you want, go out with them and have fun, all right? Don't let me rain on your parade. It was _your_ graduation too, you know." And with that, he turned back to his family and began to run to them. "I'll see you tonight!" he yelled back, not turning around.

"Idiot," she whispered to herself. And with that, she began to slowly follow after her vibrant haired friend. "As if I trust you enough to leave you alone for even a single night."

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**A/N: So… I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Yes, it does start out slow, but I need to slowly introduce the plot devices **_**somewhere**_**, and better now than later, right? Because otherwise, the story would just drag on for longer than necessary, which I have a habit of doing. And I need to ease myself into the world of Bleach, and its characters, customs, personalities, and the likes. Also, I will probably stick to the Japanese nicknames of characters, so I might get it wrong, or you may not be able to understand, but please, be nice! Correctly me kindly, and there's always Wikipedia for your reference. Anyways, I don't think the next update will be for a while, but the more reviews you guys leave me, the more I'll be motivated to pump out the next chapter. So… feel free to leave me comments, constructive criticisms, and the likes. But if you're gonna suggest other pairings or flame me, don't bother. I won't even take you guys seriously. Anyways, if you bothered to read this block of useless ramble, give yourselves a hand, and help yourself to some cookies! So expect the next chapter within two weeks at the latest. Later!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well, this update is quicker than I expected. I suppose it's because I didn't have any classes until 1 PM today (Yay!) Soooo… without further ado, here's the second installment of Bittersweet!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Bleach.**

**Bittersweet****: Chapter 2**

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Rukia had just turned the corner where she saw her orange-haired accomplice disappear, when the scene before her made here stop dead in her tracks.

"Kurosaki-senpai," a blonde girl was saying, a confident, flirtatious smile on her lips, "now that you've graduated and it's summer vacation, I won't see you as often as I'd like."

"Umm…" Ichigo honestly did not know what to say. He hated dealing with these types of situations.

"But maybe… If you don't mind, we could… See each other?" That did it. The look of nervousness left his eyes and the scowl returned to his face.

"Look," he said, his voice steady and even, showing no signs of uncertainty, "I don't think high schoolers should be dating. And besides, I've got a lot to do over summer, so even if _wanted_ to, I wouldn't be able to see anyone. Got it? Now go home. It's getting late." This left a smirk on Rukia's face. She was worried, for a second, that he might actually accept this… this… _girl's_ offer. To allow someone like her to cling to him was asking for trouble. After all, he had his shinigami duties to worry about. At least, that's what Rukia told herself why she was worried. She snapped out of her musing to discover that Ichigo had gone on without looking back, and the blonde girl had disappeared as well. Smiling to herself, Rukia began to make her way back to the Kurosaki residence.

* * *

"Todayyyyyyy… You are a maaaaaaan," Isshin said, his speech very slurred, and his cheeks rosy. Ichigo only looked on with a mixture of surprise, amusement, and disgust. "Shooooooo… to shelebraaaate… We'll drink till… we'll drink till we can't drink no more _hic_." 

"Ichi-niiiiii," came Yuzu's slurred voice. "Drink uuuuup."

"What the!? What the hell, old man!?" Ichigo yelled, pointing an accusing finger at his father. "What kind of a father lets his daughter get drunk like that!? She's only still in middle school, dammit! And I'm still underage, too!"

"Don't be shuch a… _hic_ shuch a party pooper, Ichigoooooooo," Isshin said, putting an arm around Ichigo's shoulder and pushing a bottle of sake into his hands. "And beshiiiiides… _hic_ Yuzu's only had one ship."

"Dammit, you crazy old man!" Ichigo growled, kicking his father in the face and effectively knocking out the drunk old man, he walked over to Yuzu, who looked like she was about to drop any minute. Picking her up by the back of her shirt, he carried her upstairs and placed her on her bed. "Now get some sleep, Yuzu. You'll probably feel that in the morning." Yuzu began to complain, but she couldn't fight the sleep that was washing over her. And mumbling something incoherent, she fell asleep. "Karin," Ichigo said, turning to face his sober sister, "tuck her in for me, will ya?"

"Sure thing," she said, not looking up from the magazine she was reading.

'At least Karin had the sense to not drink,' Ichigo thought, closing his sisters' bedroom door behind him.

* * *

The sight that met Rukia's eyes was strange, even for the Kurosaki family. She walked into the living room to find several empty sake bottles, and even more unopened ones, and a passed out Isshin, snoring away on the floor, a small pool of drool forming on the floor. 'Looks like he can't hold his liquor,' Rukia thought to herself, amused. 'But where's-' But her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a voice behind her. 

"I thought I told you to go out and have some fun."

"Yeah right, and let you get piss drunk like your father? I don't think so, Ichigo. In case you've forgotten, you are still a shinigami. And as such-"

"Don't worry, dammit," he said, heading over to where the sake bottles were lying around. "I wouldn't even think about getting drunk. You know what that would do to me? It would let _certain individuals_ take advantage of me." He said his last statement with a glare at Rukia, who merely chose to ignore him.

"Right. Like that blonde girl, right?" she said, knowing just how he'd react.

"What!?" Ichigo felt his heart drop to his stomach. So she'd seen that? But why did it matter if she saw that? And besides, he had said no to the girl, so why was he getting so sweaty? "I-I told her off, didn't I?" Simply laughing, Rukia headed up the staircase to change into something a little more comfortable than the school uniform she had on.

* * *

Ichigo was lying on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. Right now, his mind was completely overtaken by thoughts concerning Ukitake and the shinigami that had shown up to his graduation today. Why were they here? What did they want? And Urahara had said that they "had business to discuss." What was going on? He wanted answers, but knew that he'd have to wait till morning, at the least, before he found out anything. Until then, he could only guess. 

As Ichigo lay on his bed thinking, the lights flickered, then went out. "What the?" he grumbled, getting up. He looked out the window to see that it wasn't just his house, of just his block, but the entirety of Karakura Town, that had experienced a power outage. 'Might as well do something I don't normally get to do, then,' Ichigo thought, lazily making his way to the staircase that led to the roof of the Kurosaki clinic/residence. He was surprised, however, to find that he wasn't the first one up there. There she lay, on a thin blanket, her arms crossed behind her head, gazing up at the stars. Ichigo stood there, dumbstruck, only able to stare at the girl that was gazing up at the heavens.

Realizing that she was being watched, Rukia stood up, and looked the boy over. He was standing, gawking stupidly, his mouth open, his hand still on the doorknob. Enough was enough. She jumped at him, landing a solid kick square on is face, making the orange haired teen fly back and roll down the stairs he had just climbed.

"What the hell, Rukia!?" Ichigo screamed, still disoriented from his fall.

"What the hell, Ichigo?" Rukia retorted, smirking. "What the hell was with that stupid look on your face?" She could be so irritating at times, Ichigo thought bitterly.

"I came up here to look at the stars," Ichigo said, getting up and dusting himself off, "and didn't expect to see anyone up here. But I was surprised to find you were already up here. And by the looks of it, you'd been here for a while now."

"Right. So you decided to stupidly gawk at me, like I was some sort of attraction at the zoo?" Rukia replied, her smirk growing into a full-blown grin.

"Shut up, dammit!" Ichigo yelled, making his way up the stairs. "I'm here to stargaze, not fight with some midget."

Rukia felt a vein pop in her head at his last statement. "What did you say?" But she was merely ignored as Ichigo groaned loudly as he lay down on the blanket that she'd been occupying moments ago. "Hey!" she yelled at him. "I was laying on that!"

"And now, you're not," Ichigo retorted smartly, grinning a victorious grin.

"Well, if you're gonna be like that, then at least move over!" Rukia demanded, crossing her arms over her chest and looking down at Ichigo's face.

"Wh-wh-wh-WHAT!?" Ichigo yelled, shooting up.

"What? We'd only be sharing the blanket, you idiot," Rukia said. "Why're you getting so excited, huh? You dirty pervert."

"Stuff it, shorty," Ichigo said, calming his pounding heart. He did as she asked, and scooted. To his surprise, there was more than enough room for the two of them on the blanket. He lay back down, and Rukia sat, tilting her head back up to the heavens.

"You can see a lot more now," Rukia said, after some time. "Stars, I mean. Before, when the lights were still on, I couldn't see anything. Then, as if the heavens heard my wish, the entire town went dark. And now, I can definitely see a lot more stars."

"Well of course, you idiot," Ichigo said, his eyes still staring up at the stars. "It's called light pollution. But yeah… Definitely a better view."

Then there came a moment of comfortable silence in which neither Ichigo nor Rukia felt compelled to say anything. They were perfectly comfortable with each other's company, and they stars were much too beautiful that night.

"Rukia," came Ichigo's voice, breaking the silence. Said girl simply looked over, a peaceful look on her face. "Ukitake… and everyone that was here today… It couldn't have been a good sign." Rukia's face now held concern as well, but she still didn't speak. "Since when has a group of shinigami coming to this world been a good sign?" Indeed, it never had been. The first time, Byakuya and Renji had shown up to 'escort' Rukia back to Soul Society, and when Hitsugaya had showed up with the 4 other shinigami, it had been in preparation for the war that would ensue against the arrancar. "I-I don't know what'll happen, but-"

"If you don't know," came Rukia's voice, "then stop being such a worrywart." Although she tried to keep a proper demeanor, her voice was unsteady, and her eyes showed the true depth of concern she held. "It won't do you any good to worry so much about what may or may not happen."

"I know, but for all I know, this could be the last night that-"

"So this is where the male protagonist admits his feelings for the girl he loves?" Rukia's voice came. Ichigo couldn't tell if she was being serious or only joking. Best to play it safe.

"Listen, you idiot midget," Ichigo said, "I was only trying to be nice and-" Again, Rukia cut him off.

"Then stop _trying_ and actually _do_ it." The finality in her voice and eyes told Ichigo all he needed to know.

"Let's go back inside. It's getting late, and no doubt Urahara will somehow get in touch with us early tomorrow morning." And with that, Ichigo stood. And, before Rukia had a chance to stand, Ichigo picked her up bridal style. Although flustered, Rukia did not object.

"You dummy," she whispered, "I can walk by myself."

"I know… But I'm being nice."

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**A/N: How's that for a fast update? I guess I was too compelled to write this story, despite the fact that I've had so little reviews. I guess I write to satisfy myself more than anything else. Anyways, I hope this chapter didn't put Ichigo and Rukia too out of character, but honestly, it'd be impossible to have a IchiRuki with Ichigo and Rukia completely in character all the time. Otherwise, nothing would happen. So, until next time (whenever that may be, it depends on the reviews), so long!**

**P.S.: I'd like it if you guys, the readers, told me what you thought about the story. What I could do better and what I'm doing well. So please leave thoughtful reviews! Or just a plain ol' "Doin' well!" Please, just no flames. Thank you. And remember to REVIEW!!!!**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Well, it's about that time again. I'm pretty happy with how my story is doing right now. I'm getting a fair number of both readers and reviews. And many of you have speculated that the shinigami are here to offer Ichigo a job, but… Is that what'll really happen? Read on to find out my faithfuls!

**Disclaimer: Kubo Tite still owns Bleach.**

**Bittersweet****: Chapter 3**

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_HOLLOW! HOLLOW! HOLLOW!_  
Ichigo shot up in bed, still half asleep, but understanding the loud call all the same. It was coming from his substitute shinigami license, which was lying on his desk. He picked it up and pushed it against his chest, his soul leaving his body, which crumpled to the floor. Without a second thought, Ichigo leapt through his window, out into the world, to find the hollow.

As he tried to sense the reiatsu of the hollow, Rukia came up behind him, also in her shinigami attire. "Follow me!" she said, running off towards Karakura High School. Without a word, Ichigo followed, his mind still not completely grasping what was going on. This was so common for him that it was almost like brushing his teeth; he didn't need to be fully awake to do it.

Rukia and Ichigo arrived at the school gates to find, to their annoyance, the shinigami that had arrived from Soul Society. "Where's the hollow?" Rukia asked, looking around, no longer feeling the reiatsu of the hollow.  
"We took care of it," stated Hitsugaya.  
"My, my! How awfully convenient!" came a singsong voice. All present turned to find Urahara, approaching them, as happy as ever. "Now that we're here, I suppose now could be a good time to go back to my shop and… discuss plans for the future?"

"Yes… I suppose now would be as good as ever," Ukitake said, suddenly becoming tense.

"Well then, follow me!" Everybody, at that moment, wondered, 'How the hell is he always so energetic? Even at 6 in the morning?'

"As you may be wondering," started Ukitake, once they all entered the surprisingly spacious backroom of Urahara's shop, "why I became Shigekuni?"  
"That, and of what happened to that old fart," Ichigo said bluntly.

"Ichigo! Show some respect! Yamamoto Shigekuni was a great warrior!" scolded Rukia.  
"Well, that may be true, but he was still-"

"Ahem. As much as I'd _hate_ to interrupt," Renji cut in, "Ukitake Shigekuni has much to say." Apparently, all the shinigami here already knew about what was going on.

"Y-yes! My apologies!" Rukia exclaimed.

"No need to worry. Anyway, as I was saying, I became Shigekuni, and that may leave you two wondering. You see, what happened was, ever since Aizen had murdered the entire Central 46 Chambers, all of the members of the noble families were too afraid to join. However, Yamamoto-sama said that he would join, to ensure that the nobles would be protected. However, to do that, he had to give up his seat as Shigekuni. And he appointed me to be his successor. And after a quick deliberation between the members of the newly established Central 46, I became the new Shigekuni."

"But then why are you here?" Ichigo demanded, becoming even more confused.

"That would be where I come in," Urahara said. "As of late, more and more hollows have been appearing here in Karakura Town. Which wouldn't be too big of a deal, but not only the frequency of the attacks, but the magnitude."

"What?" Ichigo was confused.

"You see, Kurosaki-san, Kuchiki-san," Urahara continued, "the hollows you two have been fighting were the smallest ones that Soul Society has allowed through. Currently, Ukitake Shigekuni has established a satellite fort in Hueco Mundo. Currently stationed there are the taichou and fukutaichou of the 11th and12th Divisions, and many of each squad's subordinates. Currently, they are there as a… expeditionary force, if you will. Of course, that would be understating all they're doing."

"What exactly are they doing, then?" Rukia asked.

"Mm… well, the 12th Division is doing what they always do. Currently, they are researching the behavior and growth of hollows, and are trying to determine the cause of the sudden increase in numbers and power of the hollows. And the 11th Division is doing what they always do, as well: fighting. They're the reason that the stronger hollows haven't gotten through to Karakura Town."

"So, are you saying that I'm too weak!?" exclaimed Ichigo, his pride evidently hurt. "I can handle any hollow that comes my way! No way it could be as bad as Aizen was!"

"Maybe not, Kurosaki-san," Urahara said, his smile disappearing and his face suddenly becoming grave. "But do you think you can be in twelve different places at once?"

"Well, if I only practiced shunpou-"

"That may be so, but eventually, you'll tire out. You'll need your rest. In the last 30 seconds alone, Kurosaki-san, there have been over 50 hollows that have been exterminated." At this, even Ichigo felt his stomach drop. There was no way that even he could do that. Killing 50 hollows in 30 seconds was something that no shinigami could do alone. "And now you understand the true extent of the problem."

"So what do you want me to do about it then?" Ichigo said, after some time. "Why are you all here? It couldn't have been to just tell us that Ukitake-san became Shigekuni! Or to just tell us that hollows are becoming stronger! What do you guys want here!?"

"Straight to the point as always, Kurosaki-san," Ukitake sighed. "Well, we came here for you, Kurosaki-san."

"Wh-what?"

"You see, Kurotsuchi-san believes that you may be the cause of the hollows trying to flock to Karakura Town… because of your inner hollow." Ichigo's eyes widened. If it really was his inner hollow that was causing this problem, then…

"Open up a gate to Hueco Mundo please, Urahara-san," Ichigo said flatly.

"That's exactly what we were thinking," Ukitake said. "However, we cannot be so hasty. Kurosaki-san, you'll need to come back to Soul Society with us. We're sending over supplies with the reinforcement shinigami and a medical team. We plan for you to go to Hueco Mundo with this group."

"I see…"

"So, we'll give you time to think this over, Kurosaki-san. Please come back to Urahara-san's shop tomorrow, by 10 PM, if you plan on going. If you don't show up, then we will assume that you plan to stay, and will leave without you."

"Wait!" Ichigo exclaimed, apparently remembering something important. "If that's what you had to say… Why the hell are they all here?" Ichigo asked flatly, pointing at every other shinigami in the room.

"_Kurosaki-kun_," Rangiku said in her sweetest, saddest voice, "didn't you miss me at all?" To top it off, she added a little pout and began to unbutton one of the buttons.

"I-I-I-YAAAAAHHHH!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? YOUR OUTFIT IS BARELY COVERING ANYTHING AS IS, AND YOU PLAN ON UNBUTTONING IT!?"

"Hehe. I knew you missed me _Kurosaki-kun_."

"Baka," Rukia muttered under her breath.

"You… you still didn't answer my question," panted Ichigo, still looking at Matsumoto suspiciously. "Why the hell did you guys come here?"

"Because," Renji said, "I wanted to flaunt my new position in your face."

"Matsumoto dragged me out here to see you, or something like that," Hitsugaya said with annoyance.

"We're here because we were promised that we could go with the reinforcement squad to Hueco Mundo if you agreed to come along, Kurosaki," Ikkaku said, an evil glint coming into his eyes. "So… if you know what's good for you… You'd better show up tomorrow night…"

"Then," came a voice. They all turned to its source. "What… what about me?" Rukia asked, her voice slightly wavering.

"Well, it appears that Byakuya-san has pulled some strings and had you removed from your duties in this world to return to Soul Society. In fact, Matsumoto-san here was sent as your replacement. And it would make sense for you to get acquainted with your new Captain, since I am now Shigekuni," Ukitake said, a kind look entering his eyes. "However… whether you go to Hueco Mundo or not will be up to your new Captain."

"I see…"

"Now then, if we're all done," Urahara said suddenly, "I ask that you all leave now. It's bad for business." Everyone glared at Urahara, all seriously doubting that he actually had any customers besides Rukia and the occasional visit from Ichigo. However, they all complied, leaving the shop. Some grumbled, while others were happy to be free.

"Well then, I'll see you all tomorrow at 10 then," Ichigo said, and without waiting for a response, began to walk towards his home. Rukia followed suit, not saying anything.

"Hey, taichou," Rangiku whispered to Hitsugaya, "do you get the feeling that there's something between Kurosaki-kun and Kuchiki-san?"

"Who cares. I-"

"Ooh. This could be fun," Rangiku said, a mischievous light in her eyes. "Come on! We're gonna go investigate!" Then, dragging along a very VERY annoyed Hitsugaya, Rangiku began to run after the retreating pair.

* * *

That night, dinner was unusually quiet. Even Ichigo's father wasn't acting hyper or stupid in any way. As the atmosphere became more and more tense, Isshin suddenly broke the silence.

"You know, Ichigo, it's normal for teens your age to leave for unexpectedly long amounts of time during summer break to travel around the country." Isshin smiled at his son. "So… Do you have any plans?"  
"I-er… Yeah, actually. Um… We actually plan on leaving tomorrow night."

* * *

"Good. Then I'll see your sorry butt when you get back."

"Ichigo," Rukia said, suddenly barging into his room, catching him by surprise. Ichigo dropped the manga he was reading and held onto his chest, his heart beating much faster than normal.

"Don't you ever knock, you midget!?" Ichigo yelled, getting over the shock caused by said 'midget'.

"What'd you say, carrot top!?"

"GAH!!! I'M SICK OF ALWAYS DEALING WITH MIDGETS WHO NEVER KNOCK!!!"

"WELL, MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T BE DOING ANYTHING INAPPROPRIATE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!! THEN MAYBE YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT PEOPLE COMING INTO YOUR ROOM WITHOUT KNOCKING!!!"

And as the argument went back and forth, a smiling Matsumoto was sitting on the roof of the Kurosaki residence, swinging her feet over the edge, while a disapproving Hitsugaya stood nearby, looking as cool as always.

* * *

Come 10PM the next night, Ichigo was standing in front of the group of shinigami that were to return to Soul Society. Ikkaku, Yumichika, Renji, Hitsugaya, Ukitake, Rukia, and Ichigo all stood in their shinigami uniform, ready to return. Urahara was nowhere to be seen; probably operating some crazy machine in his shop that would allow for massive amounts of reiatsu to be transferred from the living world to Soul Society at once. However…

"Sorry I'm late, everybody," came that all-too-familiar voice. Standing there, in all his hat-and-clogs glory, was Urahara, except he wasn't wearing his hat or his clogs. Instead, he was in a shinigami uniform. "It took me a while to wake up Yoruichi… She's been on some weird-"

"Urahara!?" Ichigo and Rukia exclaimed in unison, their jaws dropping to the ground. "But, but you can't-" Ichigo started, but Urahara silenced him with a light tap to Ichigo's forehead with his cane-guised zanpakuto.

"Who do you think is supposed to take over Ukitake's position, hmm? Surely not Renji-kun here…" At this, a shout of protest could be heard from Renji, then a commotion as the others tried to hold back a furious Renji who swore he would destroy Urahara if he could only awaken Zabimaru.

"Wait… You!? You're my new… But, but that means… And.. .NO!!" Rukia stammered, unable to accept that this goofball here was now his captain.

"Hey! You watch yourself, young lady. I'm your new captain, and that means what I say goes, okay?" Urahara said in a sing-songy voice that left everybody wondering if he was actually as perverted as he was eccentric.

"We're wasting enough time here!" Ichigo suddenly yelled, bringing all the commotion to a grinding halt. "Shinigami could be dying in Hueco Mundo, and each second we waste is another chance for more hollows to escape and hurt more innocents! Let's go NOW!!"

"Right you are, Kurosaki-san. Come, let's all return." With that statement that allowed no rooms for questioning his orders, Ukitake Shigekuni opened the portal to Soul Society. Well, there went Ichigo's hope for a comfy trip back to Soul Society through some crazy scheme of Urahara's. Look's like they were going back the old-fashioned way…

Ichigo was the last to enter the portal, and as it slid closed behind him, he could only wonder when he would return to his family, and how much Karin and Yuzu would grow…


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: As always, I bring you a spontaneous update in my story! Don't expect me to release on a regular schedule, since, well, I won't. Hehe. Anyway, here's the fourth installment, so read, enjoy, and review please~!

Disclaimer: Bleach still isn't mine…

**Bittersweet: Chapter 4**

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"Yo, Ichigo!" "It's Kurosaki! Hey man, it's been a while!" "Kurosaki-senpai~!" A chorus of greetings followed Ichigo throughout Seireitei. Both shinigami he recognized and those he didn't all seemed to greet him, as if he was some kind of hero; oh wait, he was. Of course, Ichigo wasn't one to flaunt his strength or his accomplishments, and actually felt quite uncomfortable with all the attention the others were giving him.

His guide, however, didn't seem to mind being associated with him, and rather enjoyed the attention she was getting. Of course, she was already easily noticed by most because of her shock of pink hair, but simply riding on Ichigo's back drew even more attention to her.

"Turn left here, Ichi~!" Yachiru chirped, pointing to a rather unimpressive looking alleyway. Although the entirety of Seireitei was scrubbed clean by the 4th Division daily, this alleyway somehow looked… uninviting.

"You're _sure_ this is the way to my quarters?" Ichigo questioned the girl for what felt like the hundredth time. Somehow, Ichigo had a feeling his "honorary visitor's quarter" would _not_ be in such a shady looking place, even if it was still in Seireitei.

"Yes! Don't you know how great I am with directions!?" Yachiru pouted, bonking Ichigo on the head with her tiny fists. Apparently, she herself was unaware of her non-existent sense of direction.

"Ow! Ow! Stop it! I'm sorry! Sheesh!" Ichigo let out an exasperated sigh. Couldn't they have sent him someone with a better sense of direction than her? He was sure even Keigo would be better at finding his way around places. Well, nothing to do now but trust the guide that the Shigekuni had provided him with.

Turning into the alleyway, Ichigo came face-to-face with, surprise surprise, a dead end. Ichigo stood there, staring at the wall, unsure whether to rub his 'victory' in Yachiru's face or not. When Ichigo failed to move anymore for almost a minute, Yachiru piped up. "What are you doing? Jump!" She said it so matter-of-factly that it almost led Ichigo to silently curse himself for his stupidity. But he didn't; after all, he wasn't the idiot around here.

Doing as commanded, Ichigo leapt into the air, effortlessly clearing the 40-story tall wall. As the other side came into view, Ichigo had to do a double take to make sure he wasn't dreaming. An elaborate mansion surrounded by what was easily 10 acres of pure nature came into view. How could he have missed this the last time he was here? It was absolutely breathtaking. He spied a crystal clear pool, fed by a flowing river, whose source was deep within a thicket, and fruit-bearing trees of all sorts dotting the gardens. Training dummies and other martial practice equipment littered the numerous training rings in the center of the mansion.

"Th-this is all for me?" Ichigo muttered in disbelief. He didn't know that shinigami could spoil themselves so.

"Nope~" sang Yachiru. Ichigo had to catch himself to prevent himself from plummeting to the ground at her simple answer. "This is the Kuchiki manor; or, a small part of it in Seireitei. I think this is where Bya-kun usually stays. He said he'd let you stay as long as you promise to behave yourself."

"So I still get to stay here," Ichigo said through gritted teeth; this girl was frustratingly difficult to understand.

"Mmm… I guess. He didn't seem too happy when Uki-kun asked him, but he didn't say no, so I guess that means…" As Yachiru continued to babble on with her story, Ichigo landed near the main entrance to the mansion. The entire field itself was enclosed by high walls, but the mansion had another, lower set of walls surrounding it with an elaborate gate clearly marking the main entrance.

Almost as soon as Ichigo landed- gracefully, at that- the gates opened, and there stood Kuchiki Byakuya in all his stoic glory. He looked over Ichigo wordlessly, his cool, calm eyes betraying no emotion. He spun around and began to walk down one of the halls, presumably leading Ichigo to his room. Ichigo followed at a safe distance, feeling uneasy even though he had fought and won against the man before. Ichigo, simply put, felt uncomfortable around Byakuya.

"Enjoy your stay, Kurosaki-san." Without any other manner of greeting or conversation, Byakuya left Ichigo standing in front of a sliding paper door, its semi-transparent nature only arousing his eagerness to discover its contents.

"Let's go in~!"

"Wh-what are you still doing here!? Go home!!"

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It had almost been a week since Ichigo had arrived at Soul Society. He had trained every day, often returning to the Kuchiki manor in a state most unfitting the manor's guests. However, the onsen within the manor acted very much like the one within the secret training room just outside Seireitei. Through this schedule of train, heal, and sleep, Ichigo spent a week without realizing how much time passed by.

On the seventh morn of his stay at the Kuchiki manor, Rukia showed up, bearing orders for Ichigo. She wordlessly handed him the note from Ukitake. Something was wrong; there was no snide remark about his hair, his 'stupid face,' or anything else she usually made fun of him for.

"What's wrong, midget?" Ichigo said, taking the note and ruffling Rukia's hair. She hated it when he did it, and Ichigo knew it.

"Nothing," came her curt reply. That in itself was all the answer Ichigo needed. When she didn't immediately leave, Ichigo assumed that she would serve as his guide that the note would mention, or something similar.

_Kurosaki-kun,_

_Please come to Sokyoku by noon today with Rukia-san. Everyone who will be leaving to Hueco Mundo will meet there before travelling through the portal. Please be on time._

_-Ukitake_

But why did he have to show up with Rukia? He was plenty capable of finding Sokyoku on his own. He looked over at the usually energetic girl to find her much quieter than she was even around Byakuya. Ichigo thought he saw a dejected look flash across her face, but it was so sudden and out-of-character for the professional Rukia he knew that he decided it was his mind playing tricks on him.

He had only seen her act this way once before, and that was when she was to be executed. Ichigo was pretty sure that she wasn't about to be executed, so pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind; he had bigger fish to worry about… Or something like that.

Come noon, Ichigo found a rather large group of shinigami present at Sokyoku, Ikkaku and Yumichika among them. The crowd appeared to be divided into two groups. The first and smaller group was the shinigami that would presumably serve as combat support; they carried little beside their zanpakuto and the clothes on their back. The second, larger group was what Ichigo could only assume to be a "secondary support" group, those who would serve as medics, researchers, and the sort.

"All right, maggots!" barked a familiar voice. "Now I realize most of you aren't strong like those from my division, but you'll have to do! Those of you who are serving as logistical support, make sure that you always stick with a combat support shinigami! And you combat support shinigami, make sure you are always with at least five non-combatant support! Understand!?" Yup, that was Kenpachi all right.

"Kurosaki-kun~" sang another familiar voice. "Thanks for watching over Rukia-chan for me for the day. I was… busy, with many things."

"Geta-boshi… What're you talking about?"

"You see, I forbade Rukia-chan from going to Hueco Mundo; after all, I already let my vice-captain go, so I'll need all the help I can get around here. Oh!" Urahara acted as if he had just remembered something important. "Take this, Kurosaki-kun. It's a new… product of mine. Knowing you, you'll need it." Urahara handed Ichigo a small flask, containing some thick, clear liquid.

"Wh-what is it?" Ichigo asked, almost afraid to find out what the liquid did.

"Well, it's _supposed_ _to_ heal you almost instantly from just a single drop. The way you fight, you'll need it."

Ichigo would've noticed the sly way Urahara added in 'supposed to' if he wasn't so distracted. Rukia, after all, wouldn't be coming to Hueco Mundo… Not that it mattered, right? She would, after all, only get in the way. He didn't need her, and he wasn't reluctant to leave her behind… Right?

"C'mon then maggots, let's move out!"

Sokyoku lit up brilliantly, its immense power feeding a large gate powerful enough to allow all the shinigami gathered to pass through, albeit at a snail's pace.

"Wipe that worried look off your face, midget," Ichigo said, ruffling Rukia's hair once more. Her sagging head shot up angrily, but she didn't say anything. "I'll be back, don't you worry. In fact…" Ichigo fished around in his shitagi a bit before producing a clenched fist. "This is my good luck charm. Hold on to it for me, would ya? I don't wanna lose it in Hueco Mundo or anything…" Ichigo dropped a small silver ring attached to a simple silver chain into Rukia's open hands. "It was my mom's, but Dad gave it to me when I entered high school as a good luck charm. You'd better not lose it, midget."

"Why you-" But before Rukia could finish her threat, Ichigo had sprang away, joining the multitudes of shinigami entering the gate. As the last of the shinigami disappeared and the gate closed behind them, Rukia was suddenly left standing by herself; Urahara was nowhere to be found, probably off to do more pointless paperwork or something. Rukia simply stood there, the ring clenched tightly in her hand, looking at where the gate had been just moments before…

_You'd better come back… Idiot…_

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A/N: Well, there's the fourth chapter all~ Hope you enjoyed, and remember to review! Thanks!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I guess that's good, 'cause otherwise, it would be on hiatus too often, for too long.

**Bittersweet: Chapter 5**

"Komamura-taicho!" came the frantic screams of a shinigami. He was just one of the dozens fighting off wave after wave of hollows. "There're just too many! We can't hold them off for much longer! We need-" But that was all he could manage to say before a blinding light engulfed him, as well as everything near him, shinigami and hollow alike. When the light cleared, nothing remained in the blast path of the light but ash and smoke.

"Dammit! A Menos? But how-" the wolf captain began, when his eyes witnessed something truly inexplicable. Before him came marching not an army of hollows, but an army of Menos Grande. One was rare enough, even in Hueco Mundo, let alone five, or even ten. But this... this was too much. They were so numerous that they appeared to be nothing more than a sea of black, dotted with the white masks of the gillian. "We... we're..." whispered Komamura, the gravity of the situation paralyzing his mind and body alike.

"Taicho! Orders, sir!" came the familiar bark of Tetsuzaemon Iba, Komamura's faithful lieutenant.

Shaking himself out of his stupefaction, Komamura steeled himself for the order he was about to give. "We have our orders!" barked the captain of the Seventh Division. "We fight and hold back these hollows at all costs! Even if it means we die!" So it came to this. He led his men through the conflict against Aizen, and yet, this was how they were to meet their end? How shameful and unworthy of such great men and women of the Gotei 13. But orders were orders, and he and his subordinates were not about to shirk their duties as shinigami. After all, they had been prepared for this moment the instant they had volunteered to go to Hueco Mundo with the Forward Recon Squad.

"Here they come," Komamura growled, "Ready yourselves!" What shinigami remained had gathered in a tight ring around their taicho, ready to defend him to their last breath. The ground had begun rumbling long ago, but now it was so bad that even Komamura fought just to maintain his balance.

"We fight to the last shinigami standing! Ban-ka-"

"Howl! Zabimaru!"

Before Komamura could release his zanpakuto's ban-kai, the familiar command of a certain red-haired ex-lieutenant turned captain of the Third Division could be heard in the air. And before anyone knew what was going on, several black blurs whipped by the survivors and into the sea of Menos. Only a few shinigami would be that reckless, and all of them happened to be there that day: Kenpachi, Renji, Ikkaku, and, of course, Kurosaki. As the four shinigami began to carve their way into the sea of Menos, Komamura and his men mustered their courage once mroe.

"C'mon! Let's not let those thickskulled brutes get themselves killed! We have our duty as members of the Seventh Division! GO!"

* * *

"Rukia-chaaan~!" came the sing-song voice of that demon of a captain. "Oh Ru-chaaan~! Where are you~? I have something for you~!" Damn him. No longer able to stand the idiotic calls of her captain, Rukia answered his calls in an equally disturbing manner.

"Oh, yes, my sweet captain~!" Rukia sang, skipping 'happily' to meet Urahara. All who witnessed this were scarred for many years to come, Byakuya among the ones most deeply affected by such a creepy display of captain-subordinate 'affection.'

"Well, you seem to be in a good mood, Rukia-chan. Perhaps you heard the news?" Urahara began, not bothering to beat around the bush. He had a habit of doing that. "It's about _him_."

"Ichigo!" Rukia's eyes suddenly lit up, her face brightening to a genuine smile. Had he finally returned? She'd have to make sure to give that idiot a beating if he came back looking too beaten-up or too clean. One meant he wasn't careful enough, and the other meant he was slacking. Neither were acceptable from that idiot-face.

"Well, actually, I just thought I'd tease you," Urahara said, his voice laced with the sweet, sweet poison of someone who just found out a deep, dark secret. "But if that's how you feel about him, then-"

"Wh-what! Idiot! That's not it! I'm just-"

"Anyway, that's not important, Rukia-san," Urahara suddenly changed his tone, holding up a hand to stop the flustered defenses of a vertically challenged shinigami. "It actually concerns you." Rukia's face, although still a slight shade of pink, suddenly matched the mood as well. If it was something that Urahara himself would come speak to her of, it had to be of at least _some_ importance. "Orders from higher-up, you see. Despite my protests, it seems like it's been decided. You're to go to Hueco Mundo with the next squad."

"Has it... already been a month since the last squad left?" Rukia asked, unable to believe that so much time had gone by in the blink of an eye. Sure, she spent time worrying about Renji, Ichigo, and everybody else that had gone to Hueco Mundo, but between her duties for her Division, her training, and her job teaching at the Shinigami Academy, she hadn't realized just how much time had gone by. Not that it mattered to shinigami like herself. Shinigami were immortal. But all the same, so much could have happened in a month in Hueco Mundo...

"Tomorrow. Noon. Sokyoku. You will be leading a small group of the best and brightest graduates from the most recent graduating class from the Shinigami Academy. Don't disappoint me, Kuchiki."

"Y-yes, Urahara-taicho!" Urahara smiled at Rukia's sudden change in attitude. It was rare that she addressed him by his formal title as captain. This must've meant a lot to her...

* * *

"Well here come the heroes again, huh? Good job with everything, you guys!"

"Where would we be without you guys?"

"Go Renji-taicho! You're the coolest!"

Cries of praise and exaltation rang throughout the forward base in Hueco Mundo, praising the four shinigami who were making a name for themselves throughout their battles in Hueco Mundo. Nobody was surprised that Kenpachi fought with such fervor and recklessness, but the frenzy that the other three "Great Shinigami Warriors" - as Kenpachi, Ikkaku, Renji, and Ichigo had come to be known - displayed alongside Kenpachi was admirable, even frightening. Surprisingly enough, the number of most hollows killed went to Ikkaku, who made it a point to remind the Drifter nor the newly-appointed captain of their current 'score' at every possible opportunity. There was, in fact, a small wager going on between different groups of shinigami over who would have the most hollow kills by the time the next reinforcements arrived, where the score would then be reset for another 'season' of betting. This was the best entertainment they could get in Hueco Mundo, but it was just enough to distract the shinigami from their bleak surroundings and the dangers that threatened to swallow up any of them at any given moment.

"Hear _that_, Kurosaki? I'm the _coolest_!" bragged a certain Abarai Renji, who just couldn't get off his high horse whenever even the slightest praise was sent his way.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, eyebrow-freak."

"What was that! You're just-"

"Kurosaki-san~!" came a sing-song voice, definitely female. When the two shinigami heard the voice, they began to quicken their pace and spoke at unnaturally loud volumes about absolutely nothing. As they heard the steps behind them quicken, so too did their own, until...

"Kurosaki-san!" A young girl, blonde, came tackling Ichigo out of nowhere. "You're the coolest, Kurosaki-san!" Neither Ichigo nor Renji could be bothered to remember the young fan-girl's name, but they knew one thing - she was dangerous. To both Ichigo _and_ Renji. "Anyway, you wouldn't believe the day I had, Kurosaki-san. First, there was that one girl..." As the unnamed, unimportant blond attacked herself to Ichigo's arm and began to prattle on about her day in the research department with Kurotsuchi - a tale which in and of itself neither Ichigo nor Renji wished to hear - Ichigo looked over slyly at Renji, a mischievous smile creeping up his face. He normally detested this part of the day - the day he became 'mommy koala' to this blonde 'baby koala' - as Renji once put it - but today was different. Ichigo knew what little luck Renji had with the women in Hueco Mundo; most of them didn't like the brutish, gruff personality of the Abarai man, and thus he had little female fans, whereas Ichigo's... well, he had a lot of female fans. And since Renji was so convinced he was 'the coolest'...

"You see that, Renji? _I'm_ the coolest!" Ichigo said in an attempt to sound boastful, although it left him sounding hollow and fake. "The ladies love me!" Ichigo almost immediately regretted saying that, for two reasons. One was that it left a bad taste in his mouth. A terrible, terrible taste... Like that of iron. Yes. Exactly like iron. The second was that he was about to acquaint the sandy floor with his face. Well, that wasn't right.

"What the hell!" Ichigo roared, picking himself up off the ground, spitting a mix of blood and sand - a bloody muddy mixture - from his mouth. "Ru-Rukia!"

"It seems like I worried over your dumb face for nothing, eh, Ichigo?" Rukia's voice was cold as steel, and cut just as deep. She glared at the blonde who looked more than dumbfounded that her idol had been unceremoniously kicked into the sand by this... this...

"Crazy midget!" screamed the fan girl, pointing a finger at Rukia. "How dare you do this to Kurosaki-san! He's the best, the coolest, the strongest, most handsome shinigami there ever was, and you do this to him!" Rukia merely glanced over at the girl. Neither Renji nor Ichigo understood what happened that day, that moment in time, but some sort of woman-to-woman mental communication must have happened, because the blonde girl ran away screaming, and never bothered Ichigo ever again.

"It seems that you have a thing for blondes. Rangiku-san, your kouhai* after graduation, and now her? Dirty womanizing pervert."

"It isn't like that! Damn midget! This is the first time you see me in god knows how long, and you greet me with a kick!" Then again, this wasn't unusual. The last time had been the same as well: Rukia had jumped from the classroom window - how she got there, most of her classmates wondered even to this day - and landed a solid flying kick to Ichigo's face. Apparently, it was for the 'dumb look' he was giving her. "Tell her, Renji!"

Rukia glared at Renji, who only smiled and said, as innocently as a brutish red-haired tattooed man could, "I don't know what _Ichigo-san_ does with them, but I've seen all sorts of girls go to his tent and not leave for hours."

"WH-WH-WHAT!" exploded both a furious Ichigo and an even more furious but just as flustered Rukia.

"He's lying! I swear!" Ichigo pleaded, cowering at the killing intent rising from the smaller shinigami.

"Kurosaki... It seems I've misjudged you."

"Anyway," interrupted Renji, seeing that his prank had gone a little too far, "when did you get here, Rukia?"

"Ah," Rukia immediately seemed to change, at least physically. Her killing intent was still going full blast as she politely and pleasantly smiled at Renji. "We actually got here not even an hour ago. I thought I'd come and find my good friend _Renji_ and greet him." Rukia shot another angry glance at the demoralized Ichigo, before continuing. "Please, let's go get a drink, and you can fill me in on what happened. It'll be _that idiot_'s treat." She mere nudged her head in Ichigo's direction. Ichigo opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced by another glare from the raven-haired shinigami.

* * *

The three of them sat together in the makeshift mess hall, each with a drink in hand. Renji and Ichigo took turns recounting their adventures since their arrival in Hueco Mundo. Their little spat long forgotten, Rukia listened with just as much interest to Ichigo as she did to Renji. Their tales were grand. Farfetched, some would even say. Renji told Rukia of the the time he had to save Ichigo from the hollow that had managed to sneak up on the carrot-top shinigami, which Ichigo countered with the time Renji was convinced he was being attacked by an invisible hollow, when it was just a shard of steel in his sandal. Other tales were more serious. Their most recent exploits, the battle against the sea of Menos Grande not just two days ago, especially worried the newly-arrived shinigami. After all, she had Academy graduates to watch over, and such levels of hostility were more than enough to kill her, let alone fresh recruits.

"Any word from Kurotsuchi on what's been going on? Especially that deal with the gillians..." Rukia asked, worried about not only the recruits, but even the other shinigami and even the captains. From what she could make of it, even Komamura-taicho could have been killed.

"He says he's not sure," Renji replied, leaning back in his chair, taking another swig of his sake, "but he thinks that there may be something, or _someone_, breeding those things out there. He won't say what exactly, though. But he's been a lot twitchier and weirder ever since the incident with the gillians."

Ichigo let out a long sight and leaned back on his chair as well, looking up at the perpetual night sky of Hueco Mundo. "Worse than the hollows," Ichigo began after a period of silence, "is that it's never day here. It friggin' sucks. Sure, hollows are dangerous and whatnot, but man... This really gets to me. It's never bri-i-i-AH!" Ichigo had leaned too far back in his chair and had fallen backwards. For the second time that day, Ichigo had greeted the sands of Hueco Mundo with his noggin.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier, Ichigo," Rukia suddenly said, which caught Ichigo off-guard.

"Wh-what? No. You don't need to-"

"There's NO WAY a dumb-faced idiot like you could ever be popular with girls!" Both Rukia and Renji exploded with laughter at Rukia's comment. Ichigo turned a bright red, whether out of embarrassment or anger, it was anyone's guess.

"Right! Because _you're_ so popular with the men, right, midget!"

"What! You dumb carrot-head pervert! A girl would have to be a complete idiot to fall for you!"

"Well, you're not impressive yourself, shorty! A guy would have to be pathetically desperate to chase after you!"

"Pervert!"

"Shrimp!"

Ah... It would seem that the forward base would suddenly become much more lively from here on out.

* * *

A/N: First and foremost, apologies. I know I didn't update for years now. I'm the type of guy who does things on a whim. So I stopped writing this on a whim, and picked it back up. I don't know when I'll stop again, or for how long, but I probably will. It's not that I'm trying to be disrespectful to my fans. I'm just that sort of person. So I apologize, but I hope you enjoyed this long-overdue update.

Anyway, a few notes. *A kouhai is someone's junior, be it in school or the workplace. Just a little Japanese term that will probably pop up from time to time in whatever manga or anime you beautiful readers read/watch in the future. Also, nobody pointed this out to me, but Sokyoku was destroyed by Ukitake and Kyoraku to prevent Rukia's execution. Well, since this is now an AU tale, let's just overlook this little hiccup by the author, shall we? ^.^;;

Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoyed it, and please leave comments and criticisms. I hope my writing has improved since a few years back. Looking back at some of the stuff I wrote, I can't believe I was satisfied with that kind of meager writing .

Thank you

-The King and His Horse (P.S., if you know what this is a reference to, cookies for you! Yay~!)


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